Thomas Harmer offered job as Sarasota County administrator

Published: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 11:56 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 5:50 p.m.

Tuesday's decision came three months early, but few were surprised when commissioners asked Interim Administrator Thomas Harmer to permanently oversee the county's daily operations and 2,100 employees.

Facts

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NEW MAN IN CHARGEThomas Harmer has 26 years of experience in local government, including nearly eight years as city manager of Titusville on Florida's east coast.He was executive director of Titusville's Community Development Agency and had worked as Titusville's fire chief and emergency manager. Previously, he was also previously deputy fire chief and emergency manager in Tallahassee.Just prior to becoming Sarasota County's deputy administrator, Harmer was senior vice president of The Pizzuti Cos., a national real estate company.He has a master's degree in public administration from the University of Central Florida, where he also served as an adjunct instructor, and a bachelor's degree in fire safety and engineering technology from the University of Cincinnati.

IN OTHER ACTION: Sarasota County Commissioners voted to give themselves more leeway on how they use $2.6 million remaining in a fund previously designated for affordable housing.They can now use the money for economic development and infrastructure improvements. Commissioners said they are interested in using the funds for homeless shelters and job training for people who are homeless or at risk of losing their home.

They have hinted since October that they want Harmer, who was the deputy county administrator, to take over after they fired former County Administrator Randall Reid. Commissioners previously offered Harmer a six-month trial period as interim with a review in January.

But Tuesday they unanimously decided that another three months was unnecessary. They asked Sarasota County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh to work with Harmer to draw up a contract.

"It doesn't appear we've missed a beat. In fact, I think things have actually accelerated and gone extremely well," Commissioner Joe Barbetta said as he made the motion to name Harmer administrator.

Over the past few months, Harmer, 55, has repeatedly declined to say whether he was interested in the position long-term. But Tuesday he said his interest in the position has grown over the past three months and he is excited to come up with a contract.

When the commission promoted him to interim administrator they voted to increase his salary by $20,000, to $180,000. They have not determined his future salary.

Even as interim administrator, Harmer has implemented new practices and tried to tweak the culture of county government.

His biggest project so far has been preparing the budget for next year, Harmer said. He has changed the process by starting work earlier and adding more workshops. He will also propose what he calls the "administrator's budget" to the board, which will look at all departments together and avoid fragmentation.

At a board retreat in December, the commission applauded Harmer's approach and how he has taken ownership of the budget.

On Friday, Harmer sent a memo to the commission summing up county developments and budgetary efforts over the past few months. He also wrote that he has asked staff to be responsive, timely, active communicators who focus on teamwork. It was a list of buzzwords that commissioners said staff struggled with under Reid's leadership.

"I think those help us every day," Harmer said Monday. "It's how you respond to those issues that I think will determine your success."

Harmer said he submitted the memo to keep the commission apprised of what is going on and as part of an effort to "build a system of reporting and analyzing."

Harmer said he talks with commissioners frequently.

"We've had good discussions about how the county is doing and what priorities are — but we've had those discussions since October," he said.

Business background

Harmer has given staff clear directions and had a "calming effect," on the organization, Commissioner Christine Robinson said.

He also is responsive to commissioners' questions, Robinson said.

Communication was one of the areas where commissioners said Reid struggled. When they fired him in October after less than two years as administrator, they also noted low employee morale and a lack of urgency to when responding to requests.

Reid took over at a turbulent time for the county. Former Administrator Jim Ley had just resigned, along with many other top county officials, after a purchasing practice scandal.

Reid oversaw the creation of strict policies regulating spending and hired new staff, including Harmer, who became deputy administrator in August 2012.

The year-and-a-half he spent in that role has given him a head start, Harmer said.

He already knows the challenges Sarasota County faces, like handling the improving economy. The county lost revenue and staff during the recession. As things turn around and more building permits and other projects come in, they have to handle requests with limited resources, he said.

Before coming to Sarasota, Harmer oversaw commercial and industrial real estate projects as a senior vice president for The Pizzuti Cos. in Orlando. That private sector experience was a plus for commissioners, who said it instilled Harmer with a sense of urgency and understanding of developers' needs.

Previously Harmer was the city manager in Titusville and spent 26 years in the public sector in a variety of roles, including fire chief, emergency manager and director of the Community Development Agency in Titusville.

When asked Tuesday whether Sarasota County would be his last career stop, Harmer said, "I hope so."

However, four of the five commissioners who voted to promote him are on their last term in office.

While Harmer said it was critical for him to start off with the full support of the board, he is not going to worry about the upcoming change to his bosses.

"I think that the best thing a county administrator and staff can do is just go full steam ahead and make sure the day-to-day business of the county is going forward and we're as responsive as possible," Harmer said. "Our best chance for success is to manage the county as best we can."

EARLIER: Sarasota County commissioners have voted to remove the “interim” designation from Interim County Administrator Thomas Harmer's title and asked him to permanently oversee the county's daily operations and 2,100 employees.

The commissioners have hinted since October that they might want Harmer, who was the deputy county administrator, to take over after they fired former Administrator Randall Reid. They decided to give him a six-month trial period as interim with a review this month.

But just before noon the commissioners unanimously decided they do not need to extend the test period to know Harmer is their pick. They asked Sarasota County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh to work with Harmer to draw up a contract.

“It doesn't appear we've missed a beat. In fact, I think things have actually accelerated and gone extremely well,” Commissioner Joe Barbetta said as he made the motion to make Harmer administrator.

Over the past few months, Harmer has repeatedly declined to say whether he was interested in the position long-term. But today he said his interest in the position has grown over the past three months and he is excited to come up with a contract.

Even as interim administrator, Harmer has implemented new practices and tried to tweak the culture of county government.

On Friday, he sent a memo to the commission summing up county developments and efforts over the past few months. He also wrote that he has asked staff to be responsive, timely, active communicators who focus on teamwork. It was a list of buzzwords that commissioners said staff struggled with under Reid's leadership.

“I think those help us every day,” Harmer said yesterday. “It's how you respond to those issues that I think will determine your success.”

Harmer said he submitted the memo to keep the commission apprised of what's going on and as part of an effort to “build a system of reporting and analyzing.”

Harmer said he talks with commissioners frequently.

“We've had good discussions about how the county is doing and what priorities are — but we've had those discussions since October,” he said.

His biggest project has been preparing the budget for next year, Harmer said. He said he has tweaked the process by starting work earlier and adding more workshops. He will also propose what he calls the “administrator's budget” to the board, which he says will look at all departments together and avoid fragmentation.

At a board retreat in December, the commission applauded Harmer's approach and how he has taken ownership of the budget.

Sarasota County hired Harmer as deputy administrator in August 2012. When the commission promoted him to interim administrator they voted to increase his salary by $20,000, to $180,000. They have not determined his future salary.

Before coming to Sarasota, he oversaw commercial and industrial real estate projects as a senior vice president for The Pizzuti Cos. in Orlando. That private sector experience was a plus for commissioners, who said it instilled Harmer with a sense of urgency and understanding of developers' needs.

Previously Harmer was the city manager in Titusville and spent 26 years in the public sector in a variety of roles, including fire chief and emergency manager in Titusville.

<p>Tuesday's decision came three months early, but few were surprised when commissioners asked Interim Administrator Thomas Harmer to permanently oversee the county's daily operations and 2,100 employees.</p><p>They have hinted since October that they want Harmer, who was the deputy county administrator, to take over after they fired former County Administrator Randall Reid. Commissioners previously offered Harmer a six-month trial period as interim with a review in January. </p><p>But Tuesday they unanimously decided that another three months was unnecessary. They asked Sarasota County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh to work with Harmer to draw up a contract. </p><p>"It doesn't appear we've missed a beat. In fact, I think things have actually accelerated and gone extremely well," Commissioner Joe Barbetta said as he made the motion to name Harmer administrator.</p><p>Over the past few months, Harmer, 55, has repeatedly declined to say whether he was interested in the position long-term. But Tuesday he said his interest in the position has grown over the past three months and he is excited to come up with a contract. </p><p>When the commission promoted him to interim administrator they voted to increase his salary by $20,000, to $180,000. They have not determined his future salary. </p><p>Even as interim administrator, Harmer has implemented new practices and tried to tweak the culture of county government.</p><p>His biggest project so far has been preparing the budget for next year, Harmer said. He has changed the process by starting work earlier and adding more workshops. He will also propose what he calls the "administrator's budget" to the board, which will look at all departments together and avoid fragmentation.</p><p>At a board retreat in December, the commission applauded Harmer's approach and how he has taken ownership of the budget.</p><p>On Friday, Harmer sent a memo to the commission summing up county developments and budgetary efforts over the past few months. He also wrote that he has asked staff to be responsive, timely, active communicators who focus on teamwork. It was a list of buzzwords that commissioners said staff struggled with under Reid's leadership.</p><p>"I think those help us every day," Harmer said Monday. "It's how you respond to those issues that I think will determine your success." </p><p>Harmer said he submitted the memo to keep the commission apprised of what is going on and as part of an effort to "build a system of reporting and analyzing." </p><p>Harmer said he talks with commissioners frequently.</p><p>"We've had good discussions about how the county is doing and what priorities are — but we've had those discussions since October," he said. </p><p>Business background</p><p>Harmer has given staff clear directions and had a "calming effect," on the organization, Commissioner Christine Robinson said.</p><p>He also is responsive to commissioners' questions, Robinson said.</p><p>Communication was one of the areas where commissioners said Reid struggled. When they fired him in October after less than two years as administrator, they also noted low employee morale and a lack of urgency to when responding to requests.</p><p>Reid took over at a turbulent time for the county. Former Administrator Jim Ley had just resigned, along with many other top county officials, after a purchasing practice scandal. </p><p>Reid oversaw the creation of strict policies regulating spending and hired new staff, including Harmer, who became deputy administrator in August 2012.</p><p>The year-and-a-half he spent in that role has given him a head start, Harmer said.</p><p>He already knows the challenges Sarasota County faces, like handling the improving economy. The county lost revenue and staff during the recession. As things turn around and more building permits and other projects come in, they have to handle requests with limited resources, he said.</p><p>Before coming to Sarasota, Harmer oversaw commercial and industrial real estate projects as a senior vice president for The Pizzuti Cos. in Orlando. That private sector experience was a plus for commissioners, who said it instilled Harmer with a sense of urgency and understanding of developers' needs.</p><p>Previously Harmer was the city manager in Titusville and spent 26 years in the public sector in a variety of roles, including fire chief, emergency manager and director of the Community Development Agency in Titusville.</p><p>When asked Tuesday whether Sarasota County would be his last career stop, Harmer said, "I hope so."</p><p>However, four of the five commissioners who voted to promote him are on their last term in office. </p><p>While Harmer said it was critical for him to start off with the full support of the board, he is not going to worry about the upcoming change to his bosses.</p><p>"I think that the best thing a county administrator and staff can do is just go full steam ahead and make sure the day-to-day business of the county is going forward and we're as responsive as possible," Harmer said. "Our best chance for success is to manage the county as best we can."</p><p>EARLIER: Sarasota County commissioners have voted to remove the “interim” designation from Interim County Administrator Thomas Harmer's title and asked him to permanently oversee the county's daily operations and 2,100 employees. </p><p>The commissioners have hinted since October that they might want Harmer, who was the deputy county administrator, to take over after they fired former Administrator Randall Reid. They decided to give him a six-month trial period as interim with a review this month.</p><p>But just before noon the commissioners unanimously decided they do not need to extend the test period to know Harmer is their pick. They asked Sarasota County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh to work with Harmer to draw up a contract. </p><p>“It doesn't appear we've missed a beat. In fact, I think things have actually accelerated and gone extremely well,” Commissioner Joe Barbetta said as he made the motion to make Harmer administrator. </p><p>Over the past few months, Harmer has repeatedly declined to say whether he was interested in the position long-term. But today he said his interest in the position has grown over the past three months and he is excited to come up with a contract. </p><p>Even as interim administrator, Harmer has implemented new practices and tried to tweak the culture of county government. </p><p>On Friday, he sent a memo to the commission summing up county developments and efforts over the past few months. He also wrote that he has asked staff to be responsive, timely, active communicators who focus on teamwork. It was a list of buzzwords that commissioners said staff struggled with under Reid's leadership.</p><p>“I think those help us every day,” Harmer said yesterday. “It's how you respond to those issues that I think will determine your success.” </p><p>Harmer said he submitted the memo to keep the commission apprised of what's going on and as part of an effort to “build a system of reporting and analyzing.” </p><p>Harmer said he talks with commissioners frequently. </p><p>“We've had good discussions about how the county is doing and what priorities are — but we've had those discussions since October,” he said. </p><p>His biggest project has been preparing the budget for next year, Harmer said. He said he has tweaked the process by starting work earlier and adding more workshops. He will also propose what he calls the “administrator's budget” to the board, which he says will look at all departments together and avoid fragmentation.</p><p>At a board retreat in December, the commission applauded Harmer's approach and how he has taken ownership of the budget.</p><p>Sarasota County hired Harmer as deputy administrator in August 2012. When the commission promoted him to interim administrator they voted to increase his salary by $20,000, to $180,000. They have not determined his future salary. </p><p>Before coming to Sarasota, he oversaw commercial and industrial real estate projects as a senior vice president for The Pizzuti Cos. in Orlando. That private sector experience was a plus for commissioners, who said it instilled Harmer with a sense of urgency and understanding of developers' needs.</p><p>Previously Harmer was the city manager in Titusville and spent 26 years in the public sector in a variety of roles, including fire chief and emergency manager in Titusville.</p>